Minilogue - December 2006

Renewed Motivation

By the Rev. Bruce Johnso

Last month, I attended a “revival” of the Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship in New York City. The three-day event was hosted by the Fourth Universalist Society, located on the Upper West Side, just a few blocks south of the Museum of Natural History. It is a superb setting for this grand old stone structure, which I had not seen before. Many of the sessions took place under a huge mosaic which dominated the interior space of the sanctuary, a scene depicting Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.

I had taken the train down from White River Junction, and stayed at the West Side YMCA, which was not exactly luxurious, but conveniently located not far from the church. It was a good thing that I booked my room well in advance, because it happened to be the weekend of the New York City Marathon, with 37,000 racers from all over the world searching for accommodations. The “Y” was overflowing with runners from Great Britain, France, Italy, Germany, and Holland, and I enjoyed talking with them about their experience, before and after the race on Sunday.

The marathon ended just a few blocks south of the church, at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The elite runners had already finished before we concluded the final hymn just after noon, but following the postlude, I wandered down to stand near the flag-festooned “chute,” and watched as wave after wave of exhausted, ecstatic runners made their way to the finish line. Some staggered, some struggled, some shuffled, some - incredibly - seemed almost to sprint, having saved a secret reserve of energy for the last three tenths of a mile. Others whizzed by in wheelchairs, leaning forward, straining and reaching with all the strength in their arms, pulling themselves forward, forward, forward...

Spectators shouted from the sidelines in a dozen different languages, offering encouragement to their friends, spouses, partners, parents, children, or - as I did - to whichever odd athlete seemed to need it the most. People wore all sorts of strange and colorful costumes, ranging from alma mater T-shirts to tuxedos. I even saw a gorilla suit! I saw Lance Armstrong stride by, surrounded and paced by a cluster of fellow Olympians and accompanied by a gliding, mounted camera, the “LanceCam.” I learned only later that one of my cousins, Mark Malander, ran well ahead of Armstrong, finishing 200th overall. Congratulations, Mark!

The UUCF Revival was a great experience, with outstanding and challenging keynote speakers, excellent workshops, lively worship services, and supportive and intimate covenant groups. Having the whole thing coincide with the NYC Marathon was not part of the program, but for me, it turned out to be a fitting conclusion to the long weekend.

I was a little surprised at how moved I was by this whole spectacle. The dedication, the desire to excel, the shared spirit of community support, and the evident joy (apparent even through the pain) felt by the runners, was deeply inspiring to me. I’m not saying that I’ll be out training on the Vermont Hills any time soon, but every time I think about those athletes, I will find renewed motivation for the work that I have to do.